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Dear Mr. Willse

I am writing this letter to point out a problem at your paper.

For many years now the Star Ledger has been engaged in a practice which is either based on flawed journalistic policy or is outright bias.

Every Sunday morning, on the front pages of the comics section, I am treated to the liberal proselytizing of one Gary Trudeau. It is not so much his leftist drivel that annoys me, as the fact that its location, in the comics section, is not only inappropriate, but also goes unopposed, week in and week out.

Addressing the first part of this complaint - "Doonesbury" is carried by your paper seven days a week - but only on Sundays is it moved to the comics section. The remainder of the week, your paper tacitly acknowledges the agenda driven nature of "Doonesbury" by running the strip on the main pages of your Op-Ed section.

This inconstancy is frustrating enough on its own, but would not be such an obvious demonstration of your paper's hypocrisy if Trudeau's strip were at least balanced by "equal time" - or in this case, "equal comic strip space" - by a daily strip which represented a more conservative political viewpoint (such as maybe Mallard Fillmore to cite one example).

Put bluntly and succinctly, the comics section is no place for partisan political opinion or rhetoric of any kind - this should be reserved for the Opinion and Editorial section of a newspaper. If it HAS been determined by the newspaper staff that this is appropriate fare for the Sunday comics, then both a respect for the diversity of ones audience as well as journalistic integrity dictates that balance and equal opportunity for differing views be provided.

Ax "Doonesbury" from the Sunday comics or level the playing field a bit - either that or just come clean about your paper's agenda.

Sincerely,

John W. M. Flaherty